Integrated Management of Woolly Whitefly [Aleurothrixus Floccusus (Maskell) Homoptera: Aleyrodidae] on Citrus at Adama, East Shewa Zone, Ethiopia

The woolly whitefly, Aleurothrixus floccusus (Maskell), (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), is a new invasive alien insect pest of citrus crop recorded in Ethiopia in 2001 in Adama town. Woolly whiteflies are the most destructive pests of citrus in Ethiopia particularly in Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. It causes tremendous yield loss. In the present study, woolly whitefly management by the integration of fertilizer (DAP), irrigation and sticky gum banding on citrus were investigated in Adama under field condition under natural infestation. The field study was carried out in Adama, East Shewa, Ethiopia in 2011. The experiment was designed in randomized complete block design in three replication in a factorial arrangement where a tree represents one replication. Pre-treatment assessment of woolly whitefly population and weekly assessment after treatment application were done to select the best treatment. The pre-treatment woolly whitefly assessment indicated that 80-100% twig infestation, 60-99% leaf infestation and 35-37% fruit infestation indicating that twig and leaf of the citrus trees are the most preferred plant parts by woolly whitefly, where as low proportion of percent infested citrus plants (0.5% - 2.08%), (0.18% - 1.38%) and (0.56% -1.95%) were recorded in the treated citrus plant in studied area respectively. Significantly low twig infestation, low leaf infestation, low number of woolly whitefly colonies in the twig and leaf, low status of ants and high status of predator (ladybird beetle) and parasitoids (Cales noacki) in the twig and leaf were recorded from citrus plants. Integrated effect of fertilization, irrigation and sticky gum banding effectively increased the yield and quality of citrus fruit.  The data obtained indicated that effect of fertilizer; irrigation and sticky gum banding were significant in reducing woolly whitefly infestation on citrus. All infested plant parts were also attended by several ant colonies. However, significant variations were observed among the treatment in fruit yield. From the present study it can be concluded that by providing the citrus plant with appropriate/optimum nutrient and water at the right time which mainly strengthen and help the plant to produce leaves and flowers, and enhance the activity of the natural enemies mainly by disconnecting the symbiotic relationship between the woolly whitefly and ants by using sticky gum banding. As the management of commercial citrus production is very intense the likely problem of woolly whitefly in such a farm is almost nil. Thus, the current technology is fit to small scale citrus production system which has to be extended by the extension agents. Therefore, the use of fertilizer (DAP), irrigation and sticky gum banding could play a vital role in integrated management of woolly whitefly on citrus. Key words: Citrus, A. floccusus, fertilizer, irrigation, sticky gum banding

Farmers Choices of Precursor Crop for Wheat Production in Arsi Zone of Ethiopia

Adoption of crop rotation is seen as best agronomic practice for increasing wheat yield in Ethiopia. Most farmers lack improved farming experiences and skills. They focus on production of food crops (mainly cereals) year after year for family needs. Hence practice of crop rotation is one of the options for improving wheat yield. However, there is lack of empirical study on the factors influencing farmers’ choices of precursor crop for rotation for wheat cultivation. To fill this gap, this study identified factors influencing farmers’ choices of precursor crop to wheat planting. Cross-sectional survey data collected from randomly selected 381 farm households and multinomial logit model were used to achieve the objective. The study identified that farming experience and skill of household head, livestock holding sizes, and access to pesticides had positive and significant effects on farmers’ choices of pulse and vegetable crops being precursors to wheat planting. The study also obtained that the mean predicted probabilities were 0.58 and 0.34 for the choices being cereal and pulse crops as precursor crops to wheat planting, respectively. It is suggested that agricultural extension personnel need to focus on the factors that influenced farmers’ choices of precursor crops to break cereal monoculture system and improve wheat yield. Keywords: Wheat in Ethiopia, Precursor crop, Crop rotation, Multinomial logit mode

Smallholder Wheat Production Efficiency in Selected Agro-ecological Zones of Ethiopia: A Parametric Approach

Wheat productivity is very low in Ethiopia. Improving production efficiency is one of the options for enhancing wheat productivity. To identify the level of production efficiency and sources of inefficiencies, this study was carried out in three major wheat producing agro-ecologies. It used cross-sectional data collected from randomly selected 381 farm households for 2012/13 cropping season. A Cobb-Douglas Production Function and Stochastic Frontier Analysis were employed to achieve the objectives. The study found considerable variation in production efficiency among agro-ecologies and within agro-ecology. The mean technical efficiency estimates for lowland, midland and highland agro-ecologies were 57 percent, 82 percent and 78 percent, respectively. The technical efficiency ranges from 24.4 to 88.6 percents in the lowland, 51.6 to 94.4 percents in the midland, and 34.5 to 94.3 percents in the highland agro-ecologies. There is more capacity to increase wheat yield given the current state of technology and input levels. Wheat output elasticities associated with land, labor, chemical fertilizers and other inputs (seed and pesticides) were positive and significant in the lowland whereas in mid and highland agro-ecologies, output elasticities of land and chemical fertilizers were significant. Age of household head, livestock holding size, practice of crop rotation, access to credit and improved seed, and family size were significant factors that affect wheat production efficiency. To enhance wheat production and productivity, agricultural extension activities need to target agro-ecological orientation, the identified efficiency determining socioeconomic characteristics, and farm inputs utilization of households. Keywords: Wheat in Ethiopia, Efficiency, Cobb-Douglas, Stochastic Frontier Analysi

Trends and determinants of underweight and overweight/obesity among urban Ethiopian women from 2000 to 2016

Background: Nutritional, epidemiological and demographic transitions have been associated with the emergence of the double burden of malnutrition globally. In Ethiopia, there has been no nationally representative investigation of trends and determinants of both underweight and overweight/obesity among urban women. This study examined the trends and determinants of underweight and overweight/obesity in urban Ethiopian women from 2000 to 2016. Methods: Trends in the prevalence of underweight and overweight/obesity were investigated based on a series of the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) data for the years 2000 (n = 2559), 2005 (n = 1112), 2011 (n = 3569), and 2016 (n = 3106). Multivariable multinomial logistic regression was used to investigate the association between socioeconomic, demographic, behavioural, and community-level factors with underweight and overweight/obesity. Results: The prevalence of underweight in urban Ethiopian women reduced significantly from 23.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 20.3, 26.3%) in 2000 to 14.8% (95% CI: 13.1, 16.7%) in 2016, while overweight/obesity increased significantly from 10.9% (95% CI: 9.1, 13.0%) in 2000 to 21.4% (95% CI: 18.2, 25.1%) in 2016. Urban women from rich households and those who had never married were less likely to be underweight. Urban women who were from wealthy households and those who attained at least secondary education were more likely to be overweight/obese. Women who were informally employed and listened to the radio were less likely to be overweight/obese compared to those who were unemployed and did not listen to the radio, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight/obesity increased from 2000 to 2016, with a concurrent reduction in the prevalence of underweight. Interventions aiming to reduce overweight and obesity should target urban women with higher education, those who resided in wealthier households and those who watched the television

Sero-prevalence of yellow fever and related Flavi viruses in Ethiopia: a public health perspective

Abstract Background Yellow fever (YF) is a viral hemorrhagic fever, endemic in the tropical forests of Africa and Central and South America. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes infected with the yellow fever virus (YFV). Ethiopia was affected by the largest YF outbreak since the vaccination era during 1960–1962. The recent YF outbreak occurred in 2013 in Southern part of the country. The current survey of was carried out to determine the YF seroprevalence so as to make recommendations from YF prevention and control in Ethiopia. Methodology A multistage cluster design was utilized. Consequently, the country was divided into 5 ecological zones and two sampling towns were picked per zone randomly. A total of 1643 serum samples were collected from human participants. The serum samples were tested for IgG antibody against YFV using ELISA. Any serum sample testing positive by ELISA was confirmed by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). In addition, differential testing was performed for other flaviviruses, namely dengue, Zika and West Nile viruses. Result Of the total samples tested, 10 (0.61%) were confirmed to be IgG positive against YFV and confirmed with PRNT. Nine (0.5%) samples were antibody positive for dengue virus, 15(0.9%) forWest Nile virus and 7 (0.4%) for Zika virus by PRNT. Three out of the five ecological zones namely zones 1, 3 and 5 showed low levels (< 2%) of IgG positivity against YFV. A total of 41(2.5%) cases were confirmed to be positive for one of flaviviruses tested. Conclusion Based on the seroprevalence data, the level of YFV activity and the risk of a YF epidemic in Ethiopia are low. However additional factors that could impact the likelihood of such an epidemic occurring should be considered before making final recommendations for YF prevention and control in Ethiopia. Based on the results of the serosurvey and other YF epidemic risk factors considered, a preventive mass vaccination campaign is not recommended, however the introduction of YF vaccine in routine EPI is proposed nationwide, along with strong laboratory based YF surveillance